NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement

Article 10
Franchise and Transition Players

Section 14
Signing Period for Transition Players

(a)

In the event that a player who is designated and tendered as a Transition Player has not signed a Player Contract with a Club by July 22 in the League Year following the expiration of his last Player Contract, the Prior Club shall be the only Club with which the player may negotiate or sign a Player Contract during the period from such date until the Tuesday following the tenth week of the regular season, at 4:00 pm New York time.

(b)

If a Transition Player described in Subsection (a) above has not signed a Player Contract by the Tuesday following the tenth week of the regular season, at 4:00 pm New York time, the player shall be prohibited from playing football in the NFL for the remainder of that League Year, absent a showing to the Impartial Arbitrator of extreme Club or extreme personal hardship. The determination of the Impartial Arbitrator shall be made within five days of the application, and shall be based upon all information relating to such hardship submitted by such date. The determination of the Impartial Arbitrator shall be final and binding upon all parties.

(c)

If a Transition Player does not play in the NFL in a League Year, he shall continue to be treated as a Transition Player the following League Year and the Team shall be deemed on the first day of the following League Year to have automatically tendered the player a one year NFL Player Contract for the average of the ten largest Salaries for the prior League Year for players at the player’s specified position calculated as in Section 4(a) above, or 120% of his Prior Year Salary, whichever is greater. The Tender may be withdrawn at any time, but if such Tender is withdrawn, the player immediately becomes an Unrestricted Free Agent and is completely free to negotiate and sign a Player Contract with any Club, and any Club is completely free to negotiate and sign a Player Contract with such player, without penalty or restriction, including, but not limited to, Draft Choice Compensation between Clubs or First Refusal Rights of any kind, or any signing period.